VPI Dual Pivot Assembly

Anyone seen or heard this?

VPI Dual Pivot Assembly for JMW Tonearms

Interesting, considering their unipivot arms seem to be a staple of their design. Wonder what kind of improvements/change it makes. Surprising that the retailers (so far) don't have any selling points in their listings.

 

I saw an ad for this yesterday. Waiting to hear other members thoughts on this.

 

Ditto.

 

It was originally going to be a mod to the arm as opposed to an add on.

 

Anyone have a chance to try this yet?

 

My dealer ordered one for me.
Will report back when I get.
Of course being in Canada and going by VPIs track record of how long it takes to get something it might be 2018 by the time I get it.

 

How much?

 

Soundstage Direct have them for sale for $150

 

Thanks!

 

Does anyone know what this is supposed to do?

 

There's a lot of info here on the dual pivot.

 

Seems pretty silly to me.

 

Although I wouldn't say it seems silly (different strokes for different folks), it doesn't seem like a worthwhile upgrade IMO. It's supposed to tighten things up. Most notably, the bass (tighter and deeper due to the more rigid base). I've heard you lose some air though - but I'll probably never try it myself to find out for certain.

 

I just don't want to have to re-adjust my azimuth and vta/vtf as I feel like it's in a happy place.

 

While there's a lot written about it, installation and all, no one has yet written anywhere (HW excepted) that it improves anything perceptibly except the single pivot "wobble". You'll notice that on the Fremer video (reviewing a version of the dual pivot that is not being sold) he does everything but say how it sounds, or what it improves. IMO a real Rube Goldberg contraption that should not be necessary if an arm is well designed. Perhaps an argument might be made for a cartridge with an especially low compliance.

 

Anyone have a chance to get one yet?

 

There's a thread on AA about it, and the poster is pretty enthusiastic about the sound improvement. Also includes posts from HW and MDW ...

Vinyl Asylum

 

What I got out of the read (and I didn't stay there long) was it helps with unsteady hands, age, wine and people that don't care for the wobble which I'm absolutely fine with. And the usual sillyness of - with the pivot it now is a horse race between my other turntable - ohh geeeze. I'll repeat: Silly.

I mean come on - the absolutely beauty of the unipivot - is the design - one end balanced on a point the other end balanced on the stylus - absolute grace and beauty - gives me wood!

 

I don't even have wobble. I just recorded this:



I am experimenting with silicon damping. I suggest you try that vs adding a leg onto such a wonderful arm.

 

Thanks. That's definitely the best info I've seen yet.

 

So I bit the bullet and ordered one of these little tweaks. It arrived today and my first impressions are that it's a very worthwhile tweak. The low end seems to have tightened without giving up anything on the top end and it makes the arm handle much better.

 

Interesting indeed.

 

How did install go for you?

 

Really easy. I'm sure I'll tweak the amount of pressure and azimuth a little over the next few days, but i'd say it took me 30 minutes - and I really took my time.

 

Honestly, I have a very hard time believing that considering what it is, what it does, and how it does it. Doesn't make much sense that there would be any sonic impact whatsoever. Are you absolutely positive this isn't some unconscious suggestion that you don't want to have nothing to show for your purchase? We've all fallen victim to that at one point or another.

The wobble might worry some or annoy some but in the end, it's all about sound. How an extra pivot can theoretically improve on the sound is something I have a pretty hard time swallowing.

In a shootout on your system, you're absolutely confident you could pick yours out if I were to have yours in an array of 9 additional arms that I'd make you listen to? If the answer is an honest-to-goodness "no" then it's not worth it to me. Pretty much my philosophy towards all upgrades regardless of where they are in the chain. If the differences aren't night & day in their extremes, I have a difficult time motivating myself to make these purchases.